Sunday, March 12, 2017

I’m a sucker for organisation hacks, and in a city as crazy as Hanoi, with my schedule constantly changing, I was really starting to fall behind and lose motivation without any sort of planner in reach.

Most planners that are on the market currently are very structured, and leave little room for creativity. I needed something that I could plan/take notes/gather my thoughts/ and do art in.Drawing from inspiration from Erin Condron, and the Bullet Journal concept, I decided to create my own personalised planner. This way, I choose the layout, the format, the style, colours, everything!

The Erin Condron planner looked great, but I wanted something even more me, and even more customisable. The bullet journal is closer to the one I have now, but the one I use is 100% me.

Disclaimer: I’m not very good at arts and this is NOT ‘neat’ or very pretty. What I do works for me so I'm happy with it :)

This is the notebook I picked up from my local stationary shop. It’s a small book, A5, and it only has 48 pages. This way, my small planner fits in all my bags, and can go with me everywhere.I already bought two new ones for when this one runs out!

So I started off this notebook with a single page that says simply ‘Millie’s Notebook’. On that page I have put an envelope I made that has all my ‘stickers’ in it. (I print out my own stickers on paper and cut and glue them in)

The first page after that has my weekly schedule, where I put all my permanent shifts. It’s messy because in this country, things change everyday. ➡

After this, I write down all the hours I work in a month. This has helped me keep track better than any method I have used. Here I’ve inserted a photo from last month.

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One of my next pages is actually a really helpful one for me because every time someone comes to visit me here in Hanoi, I literally forget everything there is to do. So I made this reference sheet for when people come, and I can always add things on the go! This will move with me to the next notebook too.

As you can see, I’ve separated the pages into different lists; to do, to eat, to see etc.I also have a book list of books that have been recommended that I want to read, I colour in a heart when they’re read.

After all my note takings and random lists that help me to survive, I start my actual weekly and monthly planner. This has been helping me so much with deadlines etc that I need to remember.

Month Views

I set out my monthly planner over two pages like so:

In the monthly plans, I have my goals, a main shopping list, blog ideas, a quote of the month, and my most important dates.

Week Plans

My weeklies I still haven’t decided on. I change it every week. But the great thing about a custom planner is I can change it whenever I want!

Honestly the customisable planner has changed my life. It makes it so easy for me to take notes and plan ahead in one go, as well as being my own creation, which makes me want to use it more!

-Millie Burns (Posted on October 10 2016)

--UPDATE 22nd March, 2017--

I've been using this system for nearly 8 months now, and I can see it being a long-term solution to my organisation problems. I have seen myself meeting more deadlines and getting more done in my day.

My whole 'goal planning' scheme has made me be much more productive throughout my day and keeps me on task. I've added new systems, pages, and designs, that I'm going to talk about in a little bit.

For Christmas I received a Leuchtturm1917 dotted notebook. which I was very excited about as that's the official notebook recommended for the Bullet Journal system.I started off a bit floppy, but after a few tries, I got it down pat. There's great videos on YouTube that show you some great ways to design your Bullet Journal, as well as reminding you that your Bullet Journal is unique to you, and there's no right or wrong way to it.I am currently following these YouTube accounts:

These fantastic channels all help me with organisation/Bullet Journal tips and inspiration.

My Spreads

I have kept my monthly pages, with a header page for the month, and using the next page for the jobs I have throughout the month, and a personal habit tracker (not pictured) ⬇⬇⬇

I have changed my weekly spreads to look like this:

I like to add doodles and a colour scheme each week.

And they usually end up looking like this:

A complete disarray.I love designing my own planner. It gives me time out of my day to be artistic, plan out what I need to do, and get my thoughts together.Check out the Bullet Journal website, or search Bullet Journal on Pinterest for heaps of inspiration on how to start or improve your bullet journal.-Millie Burns

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About Me

My name is Millie and I came to Hanoi in 2015, fell in love with the country, and fell in love with the man of my dreams not long after. I am currently residing in Hanoi and between writing for a magazine, blogging, and teaching English, I like to go for coffee with friends, and attempt to do art. Welcome to my blog ❤